The present invention relates generally to a parking stand for supporting a vehicle implement when not in use, and more particularly, to an improved parking stand for supporting an implement such as a front end loader.
The prior art includes many different types of parking stands and devices for supporting implements such as front end loaders when not in use. Many of these stands, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,912,095 and 3,805,980, support the implement when not in use, but are intended to be detached and removed from the implement when the same is being used. For this reason, such stands are generally undesirable since removal of the stand from the implement often results in misplacement of the parking stand. Further, when disconnecting the implement from the vehicle, either the implement must be returned to the location where it was mounted onto the supporting vehicle or the parking stand must be transported to the new implement storage location, thus resulting in additional labor, lost time and general inconvenience.
In many other implements, the stand supporting mechanism is incorporated into the implement structure itself such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,554,396 and 4,051,962. While these are generally acceptable and serve the function of supporting the implement when the same is not in use, they are normally designed and intended for use with implements having an independent main frame. In such implements, a portion of the main frame also serves as part of the supporting mechanism.
Still other implements in the prior art show parking stands intended to remain with the vehicle. Stands such as these are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,833,136, 3,991,890 and 3,949,889. Most include a parking stand element which is pivotable or movable with respect to a portion of the implement between a parking position and a use position. In many, however, significant effort and time is required to convert the same from a parking position to a use position, and vice versa.
In general, a parking stand of the type contemplated by the present invention is of greatest value when used in conjunction with a front end loader designed for quick attachment to or removal from the tractor so that the tractor can be used for other purposes. As a result, the parking stand must be so designed that it supports the front end loader in a position for quick and convenient attachment to the tractor. Furthermore, the parking stand must be so sized and located as to not restrict entrance or egress of the tractor to or from the loader.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved parking stand for an implement such as a front end loader which is intended to stay with the equipment, is generally unobtrusive, is quickly and easily moved between an operative and non-operative position and has the other desirable characteristics described above.